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OSMOCOTE Testing on Nepenthes SUCCESSFULLY!

  • #41
Always a great reaction by Nepenthes when using Osmocote. Joe Mazrimas, Founder of the ICPS and the CPN, has always used Osmocote on his neps. The type Joe used was Osmocote 10-10-10. Always seemed to work wonders with nepenthes! This was back in 1983 or so when he divulged this to me, but it is in an issue of the CPN somewhere.
 
  • #42
I have been reading of people putting Osmocote in the soil media, as well as in the pitchers. And of course, there are mixed results - like destroying a pitcher.
smile_k_ani_32.gif
 
  • #43
We, and a pair of friend of mine went today to visit a friend with its carnivorous plants and we discover new INTERESTING things!
I did grow a lowii in my terrarium with nice temperatures for an highland and my friend did grow the same plant only under a sodium lamp ( without high humidity levels) : this was the amazing result : his 3 plants developed each 4-5 leafes with nice traps BUT mine only 2 1 leaf with trap and 2 new leafes....
WITHOUT any doubts...Osmocote did really make a nice work!
In addition...he showed me some plants that at beginning were little than some others and as they begun to be under the effect of the osmocote....they reached and doubled the size of the most biggest!
Man...it is super!

Mr_Aga
Milan - ITALY
 
  • #44
Personaly I think its like anything else. Some plants can take fertilizer, but give them too much and you will kill them. I think Neps are like that. I know with Orchids. There are some orchids that are heavy feeders and there are some that take very little or they will get burned. I think its very interesting to see these effect and I am glad someone is taking the chance and doing it. This is how we learn about things. Take chances. It may not be a strict scientific experiment, but its an experiment none the less. I think it has been proven without a doubt that fertilizing does have an impact on Nepenthes growth. Now we should be looking at what dose is good without compromising pitchers, but gives the best growth rate. There is bound to be differences with different species. That should be taken as a given, but to say how do we know its from the fertilizer and not just a growth serge is, to me, unsubstanciated. Since that plant has remained that dwarf size for over 2 years to me tell me the osmocote gave it what it needed to have its serge in growth. That would be like saying a small child with a bad diet getting a growth spirt after being put on a good diet that it wasn't from a diet, but from his age. Good nutrition is just as important to the growth of plants as it is the growth of anything else. We just don't want to over feed because of feers of them refusing to pitcher due to the fact that they are getting everything from the soil. Has anyone had a plant stop pitchering from over fertilizing? Is it really possible, or has it just been speculated it will stop pitchering from over fertilizing? Also is the rate of fertilizing to stop pitchering above or below the rate that would burn roots? I think these are some of the next questions that should be asked. Just my 2 cents.
 
  • #45
.........We just don't want to over feed because of feers of them refusing to pitcher due to the fact that they are getting everything from the soil. Has anyone had a plant stop pitchering from over fertilizing? Is it really possible, or has it just been speculated it will stop pitchering from over fertilizing? Also is the rate of fertilizing to stop pitchering above or below the rate that would burn roots? I think these are some of the next questions that should be asked. Just my 2 cents.............

JB_OrchidGuy : this is a good question...for me that a plant could stop pitchering with over fertilizing sound so strange....but maybe it is true. I mean...this...is not something I can show or test so easily...we should ask to some biologists here in the forum.
"If the plant has enough azote it does not need to develope pitchers"...sure..this sounds nice...the concept has a sense. But are we sure about that?
Bye!

Mr_Aga
Milan - ITALY
 
  • #46
So, what dosage of Osmocote is appropriate?
 
  • #47
I used 1 ball every 1 cm of area. I used all the 3 colors of my osmocote.
Bye

Mr_Aga
Milan - ITALY
 
  • #48
LOL! I have to convert cm to inches! But I hear ya. yeah, each ball represents something different. Have you tried applying them to pitchers themselves. That was done by someone on CPUK, with disastrous results.
 
  • #49
Well, fertilising Neps is nothing new. Exotica Plants has been doing it for ages with fantastic results, other growers I know have been fertilising for a while with good results, and I have been doing it for a few years with OK results. My results would probably be better if my conditions were better. As Aaron has noted, it seems to be particularly useful for giving seedlings a boost.

However, none of the data has been rigorously and scientifically tested, which really needs to be done in controlled conditions. I think the result would be ellucidating.
 
  • #50
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]The basic thing to remember with the nutrient requirements of Nepenthes is that they are carnivorous plants and best results are obtained giving them the insects or small animals they have evolved to digest for their needs. We have seen plants solely supplied insects on a regular basis and their quality, size and hardiness is evidence enough.

Strange that Exotica plants don't seem to recommend it though. BE doesn't do it right? I remember they did a test and it didn't turn out good, maybe their mix?

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]ps. by the way, yes, every pellet has a different color because it contains a different element. I made an experiment at BE, growing 10 plants for every color (10 plants only with yellow, 10 only with blue etc). For the results I hope Rob will show up into this topic...

And now I wonder what happened to that experiment...
 
  • #51
Not really. Exotica hardly wants to give their secrets away, they make money from growing better plants than just about anyone else.
 
  • #52
Certainly there is a questions of interests in growing plants better than others...but osmocote is sure a good canditate.
I have a question :
WHEN GROWING Nepenthes from SEEDS....it is compatible to grow them with osmocote and sphagnum?
Spaghnum is not compatible with osmocote,right?
EVEN NOT DRIED SPAGHNUM?

Mr_Aga
Milan - ITALY
 
  • #53
Dried sphagnum makes no difference...its..well dead. Livuing spahgnum dislilkes osmocote fertility levels and will come back with a vengence once osmocote wears off!
 
  • #54
Phill Mann once tol me he uses cheap garden center/super store water soluble fertilizer at full strengh and his plants love it.
Of course he has automatic watering that comes on(I believe) four times a day, which flushes the pots put really well. He also uses(or used-have not had much contact with him in years) a very chunky medium. It consisted of 75% pine bark(he aged it by spreading amonia on it and dousing it with water for several weeks and it turns a nice dark color), 20% perlite and 5% peat.
I could never get away with that in my conditions.

Cheers,

Joe
 
  • #55
Today I have bough a liquid fertilizer just to apply on LEAFES.
I will experiment it on my truncata in lower doses than the ones reccommendet on the instructions and I will let you know.

Mr_Aga
Milan - ITALY
 
  • #56
Aga, are you sure that what you bought is an orchid FOLIAR feeding, so that on the bottle you can clearly read "for good and healthy leaves" and not "for nice and healthy flowers" ??
smile.gif
If so it is, bring some to me this saturday
smile.gif

Marcello
 
  • #57
Dear Dear Marcello,
what I bought yesterday is the result of a discussion in a garden center between me, a shop assistant ( who studied agricolture ) and Mario B. ( also known in this forum as Rajah ). The fertilizer is for all year round green remaning plants and is rich of IRON ( Ferro in Italian ) and Azotate nutrients.
Some of teh plants named on the fertilizer are : Ficus,Kentia,Filodentro and Felce.
Even it is not the really good one I will test it on leafes some plants in half doses than the ones recommended.
If you confirm it I will bring some for you this Saturday.
Ah..I forgot....it IS JUST for LEAVES and DOES not stimulate di flowering!!! In the Garden center I talked about this, don't worry!
The NPK valors are : 10-5-5 + Fe .
Bye!

Mr_Aga
Milan
 
  • #58
With the osmocote, what values are we looking for 10-10-10?
Thanks
 
  • #59
The Osmocote that I am using has valours of : 16 - 8 - 12

Mr_Aga
Milan - ITALY
 
  • #60
MrAga, You might want to use an Osmocote with a higher phosphorus content, especially since your foliar fertilizer is nigh in nitrogen.

There's a theory that plant growth is maximized when various factors (light, fertilizer, growing medium, etc.) are at ideal levels. Of course, these ideal levels are different for different types of plants. When one or more factors is not ideal, plant growth is limited. So if a particular plant has all of the factors at the ideal level except one (fertilizer, for example), then increasing the level of that factor will increase growth. However, if two factors are not ideal (not enough fertilizer and not enough light, for example), and only factor is increased (fertilizer, for example), then growth will not increase because it is still limited by the remaining low factor (light) that was not increased. I grow my plants outdoors, so it is only speculation, but it may be that some people who grow their plants indoors don't provide enough light. So even if they fertilize, their plants won't experience increased growth. What makes fertilizing even more difficult for indoor growers is that the medium has to be flushed often with pure water because most fertilizers contain salts, and otherwise the salts will build up. Too much salt in the medium will cause water to be extracted from the plant. The limiting factor theory is only a theory, but it makes sense to me.
 
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